Two men in their late forties, one slightly older than the other, were sitting at a round wooden table inside a lone room, located at a quiet corner in the Imperial Palace. On the table, there was a plate of some pastries and a pot of steaming tea.
One of the men poured the tea into a cup and pushed it towards the other man's direction. The receiver laughed heartily, one so boisterous and raspy it made the other person wince.
"I am probably the only one who is lucky enough to be served tea by the Emperor himself!" Ji ChanFang said amidst his laugh, bringing the cup to his lips to sip the warm fragrant liquid.
Emperor Zhang merely smiled at his sworn brother before pouring himself a cup of tea as well. He sipped it quietly while looking at Ji ChanFang, scrutinizing the latter's every expression. It was true, there was only less than a handful of people he would personally pour tea for. But, Emperor Zhang called Ji ChanFang over for a reason.
Ji ChanFang coughed again, feeling uncomfortable. After all, Zhang SongWang was still the Monarch of the country. Despite their close brotherly relationship, to be looked at in such scrutinizing way made him cold-sweated a bit. Zhang SongWang had always possessed the bearing of a dragon, his gaze was still sharp despite his older age. Even in court sessions, one long stare from the Emperor could make the ministers buckle down to a kneel.
Zhang SongWang broke his eye contact and chuckled, pouring himself another cup of tea while asking, "How have you been these days?"
Ji ChanFang shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Not bad, actually. Apart from being a failure as a martial artist, as you can see, I am still alive."
They both fell silent for a while. Both knew the cause of Ji ChanFang's predicament, so both men could not and did not really want to touch the sore spot any further.
"The Princess, Zhang XiuYa... you do remember her, Brother Fang?" Zhang SongWang spoke to break the silence as he was suddenly reminded of his niece, the very reason he wanted to speak to his sworn brother about.
"Yes. What about her? She has grown quite splendidly, I must say. You have done a great job bringing her up to adulthood," Ji ChanFang teased him.
Who did not know that the Princess, despite being highly educated and beautiful, was always temperamental. She grew up without worry, so she was always somewhat haughty in her conduct.
Zhang SongWang just gave him another blank stare, "You are too old to be satirical." He paused for a bit, "XiuYa sought audience with me a while back. I think it wasn't long after your son, SongLi, recovered from... that incident. I have not been bothering you as I knew you still had a lot on your plate back then."
There was another pause as Zhang SongWang laid both of his arms on the table, linking them in a business-like manner. Ji ChanFang's brows furrowed.
The Emperor's lips were curled in amusement. "She is interested in SongLi."
Ji ChanFang's right hand that was holding his teacup, paused in mid-air.
"What do you say if we also tie them in marriage?" SongWang spoke further, "I think SongLi is mature enough to start thinking to start his own family. And being a second-ranked Princess' consort is not a bad deal at all."
"In fact, I can always elevate XiuYa to a first-rank when she gets a bit older. That will lift SongLi's prestige as well."
Ji ChanFang was still silent as he lowered his head slightly to just stare at his tea-cup. Zhang SongWang was about to speak again when Ji ChanFang suddenly lifted his hand to stop him. Ji ChanFang lifted his head and this time he looked at the Emperor straight in the eye. It had been a long time since he last did it - in fact he had never boldly looked at SongWang ever since the latter became the Emperor.
"Brother. You are the Emperor. If you issued an edict for this matter, I would have no option but to assent." Ji ChanFang calmly said, "Nevertheless, I thank you for discussing this at least with me first." He paused for a breath, there was a rare shown trace of gentleness on his already wrinkled face, "For my son - for SongLi, if he agrees to the proposal, then I won't have any objection."
Zhang SongWang stayed silent, and Ji ChanFang sighed loudly, "I am a useless father." His expression turned sad, "The least I can do for my son is to let him choose his own wife."
Then he grinned as he shrugged lightly, "Although I doubt he will have time to do that anytime soon. He will be made a General soon, to take after my position. I cannot do anything more in the military."
Ji ChanFang clenched his fists as he stared at them, "These hands... I am not worthy anymore. I cannot hold a sword anymore. It is time to pass the torch to the young ones, let them soar."
There was silence as both considered what were just said, and Zhang SongWang finally laughed,
"You are right. It is time for the young ones to shine. I bet General Zhen will also make Zhen BuFeng to be the General in a few years time." He squinted his eyes towards the other. "But, Brother Fang, this is the first time ever you actually objected to my suggestion."
But please remember, XiuYa seems to be very serious about your son. Talk to him properly about the matter! I personally think, being the Emperor's nephew-in-law is not a bad future and title at all."
Ji ChanFang glared at him, "You will already take my daughter away to be your daughter-in-law."
"And you cannot withdraw from that arrangement!", The Emperor withdrew his figure from the table, slightly leaning back as he raised his eyebrows, one corner of his lips was lifted in a smirk.
Ji ChanFang shook his head. "I won't. It is too late anyway and GuoFu has actually been kind to LanBai. They have known each other since they were little. He will be a good husband to her."
"But for SongLi," Ji ChanFang returned Zhang SongWang's stare, "I will let him decide."
"Don't you want to at least see your grandchildren to be born soon?" Zhang SongWang teased further, causing Ji ChanFang to laugh,
"You are one to talk. Look at the Crown Prince! He has not even taken an official wife and he is much older than SongLi. Neither does the Second Prince."
The Emperor groaned. Indeed, at this rate, Zhang GuoFu - who was the youngest of all three princes - would be the first one to marry. As soon as Ji LanBai came of age and had her hairpin ceremony1hairpin ceremony was held in olden days to mark a girl coming of age, entering adulthood. Normally when a female turns 15 years old. In this story, although I have written it as normal for younger girls to wear hairpins - they were always simple ones. When they came of age, the closest relatives (usually the parents) would bestow them an elaborate hairpin and style their hair as young maidens normally would. The hairpin Hai FenChu had given YuLan in the previous chapter was meant to be for YuLan's coming of age ceremony., they could start to look for an auspicious date for the wedding. And that was less than two years away.
Despite however many noble maidens' profiles and family cards that were offered by his ministers to be candidates for the title of the Crown Prince's wangfei, Zhang KongJing never gave his reply.
But Zhang SongWang could not really berate him, as he himself did not take Zhen HeYing to be his Empress before he ascended the throne.
"Fine. Let's drop this matter for now!" Zhang SongWang sighed.
He stood and reached his hand under the round table.
Ji ChanFang merely observed as there was a few clicking sounds heard as the secret compartment under the table was opened.
It was quite normal for such secret mechanism. Even in his own study, Ji ChanFang had a few secret compartments where he stored his important documents and the Tiger seal.
Finally Zhang SongWang pulled a scroll and spread it on the table.
Ji ChanFang's brows were knitted as he recognized the woman on the painting.
"Jing Yi?" He mouthed the name silently, then turned to look at Zhang SongWang, "Brother, do you still keep her picture all this while?"
What about the Empress? Would she not be hurt if she was to find out? Were the Emperor and the Empress not already in loving and harmonious relationship, after Jing Yi passed away?
"Don't fret!" Zhang SongWang waved his hand, "I have not actually taken this painting out from the compartment for quite some time."
Zhang SongWang silently stared at his old friend, as though waiting for the latter to speak. It only made Ji ChanFang blink his eyes blankly.
The Emperor sighed, "Who do you see in this painting?"
"Jing Yi-mei, of course?" Ji ChanFang answered. He had exclaimed her name as soon as he saw the scroll just a few moments before.
Was the Emperor getting senile?
When Zhang SongWang realized that his sworn brother truly did not understand what he was trying to imply, he sighed again, "That young lady who sang during the performance with your daughter at the banquet - Who is she?"
Ji ChanFang tilted his head slightly as he raised his eyebrows, "Bai YuLan? She is my second wife's distant relative..."
The same story he had told the Empress when she asked at the banquet.
"The truth, Brother!" This time SongWang's voice was deeper to express his annoyance.
"........ ." There was a few moments of silence as Ji ChanFang mulled his reply in his mind, before he decided to speak the truth, "Fine. Nothing major. She is just an orphan that is... was... my daughter's personal maid."
"'Was'?" It was SongWang's turn to have his brows in a knot.
"I believe she had left already by now. I grant her freedom. She wants to be free and asked me to release her off her employment contract.", Ji ChanFang shrugged.
Zhang SongWang took a sharp intake of breath as he examined the scroll once again.
"Both want to be free."
"Brother... really... when you see Jing Yi in this painting, don't you think that young lady looks quite alike to her?"
This time, Ji ChanFang furrowed his brows, leaning his body forward, all the while looking at the picture more closely.
He snorted, "Yes, perhaps Bai YuLan is somewhat similar to Jing Yi... but the world is so vast, surely it is not strange for completely unrelated people to have a bit of similarity?"
He scrutinized the scroll, all the while chiding Zhang SongWang, "You are thinking too much. See, for example, their eyes are similar, I must admit... and the shape of the nose... in fact I think their hair color is pretty similar too. I recall YuLan has lighter color hair than Da Lang females.... more to deep brown than black... ."
"...and the facial contour... . I guess they are pretty similar..."
"...... ."
"Well for the love of deities!!" Ji ChanFang exclaimed as he looked up at Zhang SongWang in bewilderment, "They DO look similar!!"
Zhang SongWang tried his best to not roll his eyes.
He was about to speak further when there was a ruckus heard from the garden outside the room.
The room was usually off-limit and whenever he was in it, Zhang SongWang did not allow anyone else to barge in without permission. He stood and took a sword off one of the wall's racks as he steadied himself, on guard.
Ji ChanFang also lifted his body and stood rigidly, holding his breath.
And only when the door was opened, both men realized that the day had passed quite quickly - the sunlight hue gave them the sense of time - it was already almost late afternoon. They even missed their lunch. Zhang SongWang would normally call for someone to serve a meal or refreshments if he ever needed it while inside the room. But without his summon, no one should ever disturb him.
Therefore, he was a bit baffled to see that the incoming person was an old eunuch that Zhang SongWang knew very well. The eunuch was one of his personal attendants who normally would only wait outside the outer garden of the room.
"Yo-Yo-Your Majesty!" The eunuch did not even dare to look up to him as he bowed his body at almost a ninety-degree angle,
"Forgive this lowly one, but there is an intruder inside the Imperial Gardens!"
Zhang SongWang and Ji ChanDang exchanged an astonished wary look. This was no small matter. The amount of secret guards and Imperial guards stationed inside the Imperial Palace grounds was no joke. Even flies would have a hard time getting in.
"The in-intru-intruder has offended Young Miss Ji who has just reached the Imperial Garden from the Empress' courtyard," the eunuch stammered further.
General Ji - the Young Miss' father was also here after all. If anything unsavory was to happen to the General's only daughter, the eunuch doubted he could keep his old head on his neck for another day.
"The Third Prince is currently with the Young Miss...," the old eunuch swallowed a mouthful of saliva, to embolden himself to talk further, "The intruder - a young man - is half naked... the Imperial guards that reported the matter to this lowly one said that the intruder has a brown colored tattoo of a lion on his chest... ."
This time, Ji ChanFang and Zhang SongWang's eyes widened.
There was only one person they knew who had a tattoo of a lion.
It was a long time ago - the old Jing tribe leader.
But he had definitely passed away during the insurgence in the Northern Plains, many years ago.
The only person in Jing who could bear the symbol of a lion - a mountain lion - was the heir to Jing line.
The old Jing leader's son and grandson both bore such tattoo. But Old Jing's son - who both Zhang SongWang and Ji ChanFang also knew in their younger days - was confirmed to have perished. Zhang SongWang had dispatched some people to investigate the Northern Plains years ago when the first rumors of Jing tribe's revival was heard.
And the eunuch also said the intruder was a young man.
A figure of a small boy appeared in both men's memory - the Old Jing leader's grandson.
If he turned out to be alive, then it made sense that the Northern Plains was flourishing once more. Zhang SongWang had received reports that the Jing tribe had once again gained superiority in the Northern Plains, unifying a number of smaller tribes and establishing simple trades with neighboring countries and kingdoms - including Zhang Empire.
Both exclaimed loudly, "Jing Han??"
